Understanding, learning science helps in strengthening our faith
Rayees Ahmad Kumar
Quran, the main source of Islamic faith is a book believed by Muslims to be of completely divine origin. Muslims believe that it contains guidance for all mankind. Since the message of Quran is believed to be for all times, it should be relevant to every age. There was a time in the history of human civilisation when miracles took precedence over human reason and logic. A book claiming divine origin is in effect claiming to be a miracle, rather the miracle of miracles.
Another age was the age of poetry and literature. Both Muslims and non Muslims agree that Quran is Arabic literature par excellence. It is the best Arabic literature on planet. At several places in holy Quran, Almighty God challenges mankind, to produce a single chapter or a verse. This challenge is yet to be even accepted to this day.
Famous scientist Albert Einstein says” Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind”. The Quran is containing more than six thousand verses of which more than a thousand deal with science. Let’s therefore see how learning or understanding science helps in strengthening one’s faith on one supreme creator of this universe.
In this article I will elaborate only the astronomy branch of science, in my next article I shall try to include other branches of science as well.
1) The creation of the universe is explained by scientists through the phenomenon of ‘Big Bang’. It is supported by observational and experimental data gathered by scientists for decades.
2) According to ‘ Big Bang theory’ the whole universe was initially one big mass (primary nebula). Due to ‘Big Bang’ galaxies were formed. These then divided to form stars, planets and sun and the moon etc. Regarding the origin of universe Allah says’ Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and earth were joined together before we clove then asunder ‘(Quran 21:30).
2) In early times, people believed that the earth is flat. In 1597 Francis Drake proved that the earth is spherical. The shape of earth is geospherical. That is flattened at the poles. Allah says ‘And the earth moreover, hath he made egg shaped ‘. (Quran 79:30).
3) Regarding the alternation of day and night Allah says ‘ Seest thou not that Allah merges night into day and he merges day into night ‘. Allah further says ‘ He created the heavens and earth in true proportions. He makes the night overlap the day, and day overlap the night ‘. (Quran 39:5)
4) It was believed by earlier civilisations that the moon has its own light. Science now tells that the light of moon is reflected light. However this fact was mentioned in Quran 1442 years ago. Allah says ‘ Blessed is he who made constellations in the skies and placed therein a lamp and a moon giving light ‘. (Quran 25:61)
5) For a long time scientists and philosophers believed that the earth is stationary in the centre of the universe and every other body including sun revolves around it. In 1512 Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory describing that sun is stationary at the centre with the planets moving around it. In 1609 Kepler in “Astronomia Nova” concluded that planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun at irregular speeds.
Allah says ‘ It is he who created the night and day, sun and moon. All swim along each in its rounded course “. In-fact sun travels through space and takes 200 million years to complete one round around Milky Way galaxy. Allah says ‘ It isn’t permitted to the sun to catch up the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day. Each swims in its own orbit”. (Quran 36:40)
6) The light of the sun is due to the chemical process taking place at its surface for last five billion years. In future at some point of time it will come to an end leading to extinction of all life on earth due to its total extinguishing. Allah says ‘ And the sun runs its course for a period determined for it’. (Quran 36:38).
7) Space outside the astronomical systems was earlier assumed to be a vacuum. Scientists very late discovered the plasma consisting of free election and positive ions. Allah says ‘ He who created the heavens and earth and all that is between ‘. (Quran 25:59)
8) In 1925 another renowned scientist Hubble provided observational evidence which is now an established fact that universe is expanding. Allah says ‘ With power and skill we construct the firmament, for it is we who created the vastness of space ‘. (Quran 51:17)
9) Quran isn’t the book of science but a book of signs. These signs invite man to realise the purpose of his existence on earth and to live in harmony with nature. Professor Tejson required only one sign/ verse of Quran to accept Islam. Some people may require ten or hundred signs to accept Islam. Some would be reluctant to accept Islam even if you show them thousands of signs. About them Allah says “Deaf, dumb and blind, they will never return to the right path “. (Quran 2:18).
What modern science is showing us now or has shown/ proved very recently, has been incorporated in glorious Quran 1442 years before. It shows the divine origin of Quran and the sovereignty of one supreme creator of this universe.
(The author is a columnist and teaches at Govt Boys Secondary school Anderwan Ganderbal)
KV Network
